Şahin lifted his head, his ears turned back. “Bullshit,” he said. As a stallion who rarely swore —there were so many other words that could deliver a stronger punch than profanity— it shocked him that this mare should be the first on the islands to coax such an epithet out of him and with such little provocation. “A mare might keep her newborn away from the herd for a day —maybe— but Conquistador is not newly dropped. He’s clearly been alive for months. At the very least, you should have told me of his existence as soon as he arrived here.” And where did he come from, exactly? Xina said he’d been given to her, but by whom? And why? And when? As more questions arose, Şahin felt cold anger bubbling under his skin. “I find your excuse both unwarranted and offensive,” he said as he stared at Xina, and a low snort punctuated his words. Did she honestly believe it was best to wander around out of sight and scent of the herd after a foal was born? Şahin had meant it when he said there was safety in numbers, and assumed that was common knowledge among animals of prey. He found himself quickly re-evaluating what he thought were the mare’s priorities, and he wondered if he would have to separate her from Conquistador. If she thought it was safer to wander as just a mare and a colt, she was wrong, and he would not have a dead colt in his lands due to the backwards thinking of the mare who was his surrogate dam. Paradise was wonderful but that did not mean it was any safer than the other territories.

The colt approached him again and Şahin looked down, his expression softening as his ears came forward. He was not to be blamed, after all— he was still a dependent and relied on the support and protection of others. He laughed when Conquistador nipped him and tried to retaliate by grabbing a mouthful of the boy’s mane, but he was too quick and had soon shielded himself behind Dia. The Nez Perce had to restrain himself from giving chase when the wheat-colored colt raced off. Much as he wanted to join Conquistador in playing, now was not the time. His eyes slid back to Xina. Dia tagged him with a tug of his mane but he shook his head and watched her flee after the boy. She’d understand soon enough that he would not be joining them, not this time. Hopefully she’d keep Conquistador occupied but also within sight of himself and the stubborn roan mare. “Xina,” he said, and took a deep breath to keep himself calm. “Who gave you Conquistador?”